Bruce Power Nuclear Refurbishment

Following the release of the Government of Ontario’s Achieving Balance: Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP) in December 2013, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) and Bruce Power entered into negotiations on the refurbishment of Bruce B Units 5-8 at the Bruce Power nuclear facility located in Tiverton. These negotiations are part of an ongoing project to secure 6,300 MW of base load capacity from the Bruce Power facility for the long term. The Bruce site refurbishment sequence will be aligned with that of the Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) nuclear facility at Darlington to ensure reliability of supply and value for ratepayers.

The ongoing negotiations will ensure that the refurbishment process at the Bruce site will adhere to the seven principles outlined in the LTEP:

Minimize commercial risk on the part of ratepayers and government;

Mitigate reliability risks by developing contingency plans that include alternative supply options if contract and other objectives are at risk of non-fulfillment;

Require OPG to hold its contactor accountable to the nuclear refurbishment schedule and price;

Make site, project management regulatory requirements and supply chain considerations and costs and risk containment the primary factors in developing the implementation plan; and

Take smaller initial steps to ensure there is opportunity to incorporate lessons learned from refurbishment including collaboration by operators.

Bruce Power Restart and Refurbishment Timeline To Date

In 2001, Bruce Power L.P. entered into a lease agreement with Ontario Power Generation relating to its facility in Tiverton, Ontario.

2003-2004, Units 3 and 4 were restarted following an investment of about $725 million.

On October 17, 2005, the Ontario government announced that it had reached an agreement with Bruce Power for the restart of Bruce A Units 1 and 2, refurbishment of Unit 3 and generator replacement at Unit 4.

On August 29, 2007, the Ontario Power Authority confirmed the expansion of the agreement to include the full refurbishment of Unit 4.

In October 2012, Bruce A units 1 and 2 were restarted and achieved commercial operation supplying a combined capacity of 1,500 MW to the Ontario grid after being shut down for 17 years.

In April 2013, the Ontario Power Authority completed a contract amendment to the Bruce Power Refurbishment Implementation Agreement (BPRIA). The amendment secures a cost-effective source of electricity to the end of the decade and is the first step in a commercial agreement to secure 6,300 MW at the Bruce site for the long-term.

In December 2013, the OPA and Bruce Power enter into negotiations on the refurbishment of Bruce B Units 5-8 the Bruce Power nuclear facility located in Tiverton

Bruce Power Nuclear Facility Backgrounder
The Bruce Nuclear facility, located on Lake Huron in Tiverton Ontario, is the largest nuclear facility in North America in terms of output with a total output capacity of 6,224 MW (net) and 6,610 MW (gross). It houses two nuclear generating stations – Bruce A and Bruce B – and each generating station has four CANDU reactors.

The facility was constructed in stages between 1970 and 1987 by the provincial Crown Corporation, Ontario Hydro. Bruce A Units were taken out of service between 1995 and 1998. Bruce B Units continued in service.

In 2001, Bruce Power L.P., a private sector operator, entered into a lease agreement with Ontario Power Generation relating to the facility. Units 3 and 4 were restarted between 2003 and 2004 following an approximately $725 million investment.